Mount Rushmore Q and A

by Don "Nick" Clifford

Octavo, PP.69, Answers To Frequently Asked Questions from a Mount Rushmore Worker 1938-39-40; Signed And Inscribed by Nick Clifford July 22, 2009

Genres: History, Art, Travel, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Going to Mount Rushmore in the fall.

I can’t wait.

[Austin Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got to meet the author at Mount Rushmore! Fun little book!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Q&A about Mt Rushmore. Written by the last living worker on Mt Rushmore. My boyfriend and I both enjoyed this personal account of Nick's expediency.

[Edward Amato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little booklet that I wished I had read this prior to going to Rushmore.

[Daniel Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Met him at Mt. Rushmore this last summer. An outstanding Q&A!

[Stephanie Biddick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Carolyn Clifford at the Mount Rushmore gift shop this month (July 2024) I thought she was a worker there since she was straightening up a couple of small stacks of books. As I approached the table where she was said “you must have been doing this all day long“ she looked up at me, a small statured woman, with a perplexed look and replied “ no I’m just here counting the inventory and making sure there’s enough of our books”. I was the next one to be perplexed and asked “oh I’m sorry, I thought you worked here”

She smiled up at me, padded the stack of books she was straightening and began to tell me that the picture on the front of the books was, in fact, her husband, Nick. And that she and Nick had written the book that was in the gift shop. She said she came in once or twice a week to visit and make sure there were still enough books for people to purchase.

“What? Wait a minute…this man is your husband?”
“Yes he was. Nick died 4 years ago at the age of 98 and he was the last surviving worker on Mount Rushmore. This is t an ordinary Mount Rushmore book, it’s just filled with questions people asked and answers we gave. We kept a journal over the years of things people would ask and thought it would be nice to compile them into a book people can enjoy”
“So, you’re practically famous and I just thought you were a gift shop worker!”
Carolyn smiled and said “well I don’t know about that”

I then asked her if I bought the book if she would be so kind as to sign it and in her gentle and kind way, she looked around for a pen which I had and she did just that! I told her I was delighted to meet her and looking forward to reading their book and thanked her for her time.

As I was turning away to leave, the woman who had been sitting nearby watching and listening to our interchange meandered towards the stack of books and was flipping through one. When I was finished speaking with Carolyn, the lady said “hi I was definitely eavesdropping and I would love it if you would sign my book as well so that I can buy one too!” Carolyn agreed and asked to borrow my pen. We all three laughed and I mentioned to Carolyn that she might consider staging a person there to share her story with because I was pretty sure she would have to bring a new stack of books back the next day. We said our goodbyes and it was an honor meeting Nick Clifford’s wife Carolyn. The book is fantastic!

[Court · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was so cute and personal. A step back in time from the perspective of a driller on Mount Rushmore. Nick is a unique individual and I learned a lot from his Q&A. I felt honored to support his legacy by buying his book. Will be buying another copy to send to a cousin out of state. Highly recommend.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I had family members who helped carve Mount Rushmore and this book gave me a much better understanding of the challenges involved. I am grateful that Nick Clifford put this together and autographed the version I have to my son.

[Sheila Dailie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting step back in time to when the four faces of Mount Rushmore were being chiseled out of granite up on the mountain slope.

A quick read, yet sure to give you a better appreciation of this grand national monument.

[James Sevier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story of how American was built and the men and women who did the work

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved seeing Mt Rushmore and a fast read answering some questions by a person that actually worked on it. Amazing mountain!

[Tommy Juliano · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was good in the informational sense, but really boring. I was also disappointed because near the end it was just about his life, and less about mount rushmore.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book on the creation of Mount Rushmore. I wish I read the book before I visited the monument.

[Kristal Stidham]

A very interesting look at the carving of Mount Rushmore from one of the workers involved. My copy is signed by Nick, who still lives in the nearby town of Keystone. He also included a signed baseball card from their talented municipal baseball team.

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it! I read "The Carving of Mount Rushmore" at the same time. This Q&A was a fun read and gave insight into the personal history of working on the mountain.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book. Very informative, color photos. Thank you Mr. Clifford.

[N.R. Tomasheski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! Easy to read and informative, with the personal touch of someone who was there.

[Chuck Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed our visit to Mt Rushmore, and meeting Nick and reading this book made it even better.